Supplemental drive for vehicles



J. .E. MUHLFELD ET AL SUPPLEMENTAL DRIVE FOR VEHICLES Filed June 24, 1920 IN VENTOHS .Io/znl'ZJfukZfeZd am? A ORNEY Patented June 24', 1924,

11mm STATES PATENT: OFFICE}.

JOHN E. momma), or SCARSDALE, Ann vmemrus z. cAnAonIsrI, or nnonxvmn,

. NEW YORK. a 1

Application filed June 24,

To all whom it may conaem:

Be it known that we, JOHN E. MUHLFELD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Scarsdale, county of Westchester, and

6 State of New York, and VIRGINIUs Z. QARA- oRIs'rI, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bronxville, county of Westchester, and State of New York, have inventedcertain newand useful Improve- 10 ments in Supplemental Drives for Vehicles,

of which the following is a description.

This invention relates to an improved supplemental. drive for vehicles, and primarily has for its object to provide supplementary drive means for a locomotive whereby the adhesive pressure due to the weight of the locomotive upon the rails may be utilized to full advantage in overcoming inertia and accelerating the starting motion of the loco motive.

More particularly our present invention comprehends a supplementary drive of the above character, embodying a gear mechanism for imparting a positive driving impulse to the rear trailer wheels of a locomotive, and a frame in which such drive gearing is operatively mounted, having a three point bearing permitting of the vertical oscillation of such frame relative to the truck frame and the locomotive structure.

It is another objectflof'the invention to provide a supplemental drive'means for loco-1 motives, which is applicable to any of the uncoupled wheels of the locomotive, and embodies a construction which is so mounted and arranged that the greater part of the weight of such supplemental drivemeans is suspended over andborne by the coupled wheels of the locomotive, while a minimum of such additional weight is borne by the uncoupled wheels which are propelled by the supplemental drive means;

Our invention further contemplates the provision of a supplemental drive means for locomotives which is simple and durable in the construction and arrangement of its several parts, and which is directly driven by means of steam generated in the locomotive boiler. a

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved form, construction and relative arrangement of the several parts, as will be hereinafter more that portion of t 1920. Serial No. 391,326.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the mounting of v the supporting frame for the supplemental drive mechanism, and,

Figure 3 is a plan view of the supplemental drive unit.

In the accompanying drawings, we have shown a locomotive similar to that disclosed in our prior application for patent, Serial No. 37 4,721, filed April l'Z, 1920, but, in so far as the merits of the present invention are concerned, it is to be understood" that the supplemental drive mechanism which we shall hereinafter describe in detail, may likewise be applied to other locomotive constructions of the simple, compound, triplex or other type.

The locomotive structure generally indicated as 10, is mounted and supported in proper balance upon the main drive trucks 5 and the front and rear trucks 6 and 7 respectively. As is well known, in the cus tomary locomotive construction the wheels 7 of the latter trucks exert no positive tractiveefl'ort upon the railsras an aid in the propulsion of the locomotive, but constitute merely guiding and supplorting means. However,

e weight of the locomotive which devolves upon the wheels of the rear truok 7 results in a high adhesive pressure of these wheels upon the track' rails,

and it'is the primary purpose of our'pre's-- ent invention to provide means whereby such adhesive pressureof these rear trailer wheels 7 may beefiectively utilized as a ma-v terial supplement to the main tractive driving force of the wheels 5 upon the rails, to the end that inertia may be quickly overcome, and the starting movement of the 10- comotive accelerated. It will, of course, be

manifest that a similar supplemental drive means might also be applied to the leading truck wheels of the locomotive.

As herein shown, the rear truck includes the usual frame in which the wheel supported axle 56 is journaled. In one adaptation of our invention we provide a carrying frame for the supplemental drive gearing, and a flexible three point mounting or hearing therefor, which affords the requisite flexibility and permits of the relative vertical movement of the locomotive body, the truck frame, and the carrying frame without destroying the driving connection. We attain this result by providing the gear carrying frame with spaced bearings loosely surrounding the axle 56. At its rear end and in spaced relation to the axle 56 the frame 55 is swiveled upon theupper end of the post 57, which, in turn, is swiveled at its lower end in a fixed bearing 58. Preferably a spring 59 surrounds the post 57 between the frame 55 and the bearing 58, and

serves to yieldingly resist the tendency of the frame 55 to oscillate with respect to the truck frame and the locomotive structure.

Upon the axle 56 spaced cog gears 60 are fixed. Above the axle 56 a shaft 62 is mounted in spaced bearings 62' on the frame 55, and pinions 61 are fixed upon said shaft. These pinions have constant meshing engagement with the respective gears 60. A

beveled gear 63 is also fixed upon the shaft 62, and meshes with the pinion 64 on the longitudinal shaft 65. This shaft is driven by means of a steam turbine 66, while suitable reducing gearing is interposed in the line of said shaft, as at 67. The shaft 65 consists of a plurality of sections connected by the flexible couplings 65, which permit of the relative axial displacement of the shaft sections. Each shaft section is also connected to the next adjacent section by means of a spline or key indicated at 65, which admits of longitudinal expansion of the engine structure without strain upon the flexible couplings, or disconnection of the shaft sections.

A clutch 68vis also provided for the purpose of interrupting transmission of power to the drive pinion 64. This clutch may be I v of any desired automatic type, so that when the locomotive has attained -a predetermined speed at which the pinion 64 would be rotated through the gearing at a speed in excess of the speed of the driving shaft 65, the clutch will open. In practice they turbine functions until a speed of fifteen to twenty-five miles is attained, when it is thrown out of operation either automatically, or by the manual operation of a suitable cut-off valvein the steam feed pipe 69, which, as herein shown, supplies the turbine with superheated steam from the steam chest pipe connection 40.

electrically driven motor.

and reliable power transmission force.

It will be. understood that the weight of the locomotive structure is so distributed and balanced between the main drivers 5, thefront supporting truck 6 and the rear supplementary drive wheels 7 that a considerable adhesive pressure is exerted by the latter wheels upon the rails. Therefore, by the application of a positive driving force to the wheels 7, as above disclosed, a very appreciable additional tractive power is obtained, which materially aids in the propulsion of the locomotive.

It will also be observed that this supplemental drive gearing is directly driven by steam power through the medium of the turbine. However, it is apparent that in place of the turbine, an electrical current generator might be substituted and driven by steam generated in the locomotive boiler, in which case the supplemental drive gearing would be indirectly operated by steam power through the medium of an We find, however, that the use of the turbine is more economical, and provides a ,more positive In either case it is apparent that the locomotive must be equipped with a boiler ofhigh steam generating capacity, in order to furnish the power necessary for the operation of the supplemental drive gearing, without diminishing'the driving power applied for the operation of the main drive wheels 5. It is for this reason that our present invention is preferably to be used in connection with a locomotive of the type and construction disclosed in our prior application, above referred to, or with other locomotive constructions of similar high steam generating capacity.

The supplementary drive means as above described need not necessarily be applied to the leading or trailing wheels of the 1000- motive, but can be applied for use in conjunction with other uncoupled wheels, which are not driven by the primary drive means of the locomotive. In any case, it is to be noted that the weight of the power generating, driving and transmission mechan isms does not devolve on the truck axle of the uncoupled wheels, so that such weight will not be borne by these wheels. On the con- 'trary, the greater portion of the additional sumption of a relatively small proportion of the steam generated in the locomotive boiler. ing and arrangement of the supplemental drive means is described and claimed in our copending ferred to. 1 v v We have above described a construction, mounting and arrangement of the several parts of the supplemental drive mechanism which we believe will be. very reliable and satisfactory in practical operation, but in this respect, likewise, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is susceptible of embodiment in numerous other alternative constructions, and we accordingly reserve the privilege of resorting to various changes or modifications'as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

We claim: 1. In combination With a locomotive having primary driving means, a truck sustaining a portion of the weight of the locomotive structure and including an axle and a driving shaft, and an actuating motor operatively connected to said shaft and This feature of our improved mountapplication hereinbefore re-.

supported upon the locomotive structure independently of said frame.

2. In combination with a locomotive having primary driving means, a truck sustaining a portion of the weight of the locomotive structure and including an axle and wheels carried thereby, a frame oscillatably mounted upon the truckaxle, drive gearin for said axle mounted upon the frame an including a driving shaft, a motor supported independently of said frameand driven from the locomotive boiler and Ya flexible operatin connect-ion between said moto and th rivin shaft.

3.111 combination with a locomotivehaving main drivin wheels and primary driving means there or, a truck sustaining a portion of the weight of the locomotive structure and including an axle and wheels carriedthereby, and driving means for said axle so constructed and arranged that the greater part of the weight of such means is suspended over and borne by the main driving wheels, the driving means for said axle comprising a prime mover and flexible shafting connecting the prime mover with'the axle.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention, we have signed our names hereunder.

' JOHN E. MUHILFELD.

VIRGINIUS z. GARACRISTI. 

